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Topic: Discontinue Traditional VFW Caps (Read 69135 times)

johnmarine62

I am a VietNam Vet and am proud of it. When anyone see's a VFW member with their cover on , most know who they are and what they represent. You go to a military base today and all you see are Berets and uniforms of different colors and styles. There seems to be one big identity problem. Each command wants to be diferent, and thats fine for them. Each and every member of the VFW has a very special brotherhood with each other We are veterans. Our hat/cover is our identity. Can you imagine every state/district/and post having a diferent pice of head gear.

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1sg_davo

One thing that I have noticed is that there is a verity of different VFW hats also. There is White ones, there are brown ones, some have gold cord, some have green cord. there is all sort of embroiled writing on them

There are many styles of the Official Hat for use. The basic hat is for the general membership which has the Gold Piping. The hats with the Green Piping are for the District Officers. Blue Piping for County Council. The Red Piping is used for the District Commanders and Department Officers. National Officers have Silver Piping. As far as colors of the hats, we have the basic Green for most uses. There is the lightweight Suntan for Life Members (Tan over White for Ladies). There is the White for the All State Team and the Red and White for All American. All hats should have the VFW Emblem, Post #, the State, maybe the Post Name, and if in position, their Title of Office.Personally, these hats should Never be discontinued.

DMC

Not sure about every post.. if they come.. as long as they have a cover with VFW on it, then it will work, and sometimes they don't, it is not the hat that matters. We always have a few extras on hand. It is not the hat, that counts, it is the head and the vet that came to the mtg.For special event's, yes, you should have a dress code. I have done many push-up's because somebody was out of uniform. If you are in your uniform(active duty), then do it right. DMC/ARMY/Grunt'69

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PernDawg

My name is John Arthur Pernia. I enlisted in 1996. I'm 35. I was searching the web for the color of the VFW headgear so that I could locate a jacket to match it, that I would have custom embroidered. When I stumbled across this post via Google, it forced me to register just to post a reply.I am no spring chicken, and I am not a WWI vet. I'm an OIF Vet with some combat experience if that even matters. Attempting to enlist with the heart to do the duties that may be appointed to somebody is all that should matter.I agree with the posts that say that the current brown headgear may bring about some conflict with "the younger generations." I agree that I also used to get a bit intimidated when I saw a Soldier wearing that headgear. I didn't think it was appealing then, nor do I think it is appealing now. BUT I ALWAYS RESPECTED IT for what it represents and the Soldier who earned the right to wear it. I think that the Statue of Liberty could use some more attractive facial features. I respect her and what she stands for. We are not going to change that statue but we clean it up and maintain it.I surely hope that a piece of headgear that is associated with sports doesn't replace a piece of headgear that is earned by putting your life on the line. Don't take something away from those that earned it. Offer something different to those that don't like it, but not a baseball cap! I'm preparing to become a lifetime member but I will not ever wear a baseball cap as my headgear to represent the VFW.If you want a younger generation to become interested in the VFW, stop giving out money that it needs. Invest it in the future of the VFW. Most of the VFWs in my area are slums and bars that need updated and some form of entertainment other than fish fry gatherings. Have you seen the Soldiers flocking to "that one place at most airports that is for Soldiers?" Just take one VFW hall in a city that is well populated with veterans, and model it after a USO lounge. Watch what happens.

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fabulous fifth

John: First, welcome to the forum, and also, thanks for the well written and well thought out comments regarding the caps we VFW members wear. I only hope that the fortunes of the VFW do not rise or fall based on what is on our heads! That is pretty narrow minded, isn't it? The flat overseas cap denotes one thing only, Foreign Service. It has been the official headgear for the VFW for many, many years. I view attempts to change it by some as saying my generation is more important than yours, therefore, we will not join unless you change it. Someone in a previous post mentioned that the Shriners will not give up their fezzes they wear, because it is part of what makes them unique. I believe the same holds true for the VFW caps. Another stated that baseball caps are sports gear, and don't look particularly good with a suit and tie. The military that we all served in expected our heads to be covered when outdoors. VFW members proudly wear their caps both indoors and out. The VFW cap is just a means of identifying ourselves to each other and the world that we are Veterans of Foreign Wars.

I agree with many of our members here, don't make unecessary changes. There are many more important issues going on in this country right now, instead of focusing on an optional clothing item! Not to mince words with anyone, but to the younger generation of vets our service organization cap can seem to be a bit outdated.

Speaking from a younger veterans perception, I think this is mainly due to being uninformed about the presitigious history of the overseas cap. The history of this clothing item is steeped in tradition as well being one of the most visible display of overseas service.

When I first joined, headgear was never an issue for me. Even when our Post conducted meetings and made it a 'mandatory' item for Post meetings, it still didn't matter to me. I was 'lifer' in the service, so following orders and being uniform in appearance wasn't too much of big deal to me. I mean, come on! Is it really that big of a deal?

Our organizational cap is a visible symbol to the public-at-large, being one of the most recognized items of any veteran service organization. So be proud! Wear our service cap with pride!

I agree with many of our members here, don't make unecessary changes. There are many more important issues going on in this country right now, instead of focusing on an optional clothing item! Not to mince words with anyone, but to the younger generation of vets our service organization cap can seem to be a bit outdated.

Speaking from a younger veterans perception, I think this is mainly due to being uninformed about the presitigious history of a the overseas cap. The history of this clothing item is steeped in tradition as well being one of the most visible display of overseas service.

When I first joined, headgear was never an issue for me. Even when our Post conducted meetings and made it a 'mandatory' item for Post meetings, it still didn't matter to me. I was 'lifer' in the service, so following orders and being uniform in appearance wasn't too much of big deal to me. I mean, come on! Is it really that big of a deal?

Our organizational cap is a visible symbol to the public-at-large, being one of the most recognized items of any veteran service organization. So be proud! Wear our service cap with pride!

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George

A lot has been said regarding this subject and there are proscriptions regarding "beating a dead horse" unfortunately I cannot resist spending my "two cents". I spent 24 years in service to our country, 5 in the US Navy and 19 in the Air Force. I wore several different "covers" in that time. I did not like the "overseas cap" of the USAF which I had to wear as an aircrew member because it got dirty quickly and was costly to clean or replace. Fortunately we were allowed to wear baseball caps, with the proper unit isignia, when performing aerial duties. When I joined the VFW I didn't like the cap but realized that that was one of the costs of admission to the greatest service organization in the world. No other headgear can ever represent who we are and what we do to the public as well. Regarding the wearing of uniforms, in my estimation we have "slid down the slippery slope" by allowing all active duty, guard, and reserve personnel to wear "utilities" 24/7, even to formal functions. How can you be proud of your organization if everyone wears the everyday work clothes? We risk losing our heritage by submitting to those who don't know or care about their heritage.

I'm waithing to see a flashing pin on a cap. Some caps have so many pins you can hardly tell it's a cap.

I am in full accord with this. The large number of devices worn on a cap detract from the solemnity and reverance of ones feelings about his service to our country. Some of these hats look like an advertisement for flea a market. However I am of the opinion that the present uniform cap reflects favorably on our organizations.

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"There are no great men. Just great challenges which ordinary men,out of necessity, are forced by circumstance to meet.Ē

Yeah...the pins get to be a little much sometimes. I try to stick with a couple of military-related pins that are placed in an organized manner. I think any honor guard covers should either have no pinsor be very uniform.

I'm waithing to see a flashing pin on a cap. Some caps have so many pins you can hardly tell it's a cap.

I am in full accord with this. The large number of devices worn on a cap detract from the solemnity and reverance of ones feelings about his service to our country. Some of these hats look like an advertisement for flea a market. However I am of the opinion that the present uniform cap reflects favorably on our organizations.

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chaplaindale

Personally, I think that the current hat rocks! I am very proud to wear it whenever I can. The only pins I have on my hat are my Chaplain Cross and the Holy Spirit Dove pin that the State Chaplain gave me. I agree with the previous posting of "If it isn't broke, don't try and fix it." Also, when I'm making hospital, home & nursing home visits, I look way more professional than I would with a baseball cap. Ever since I was a kid I've always had respect for those who wore the VFW cap. My grandpa was a WWI VFW member. Now I am carrying on where he left off. I think that it all boils down to tradition. Ever since the VFW's inception, the current hat has been there. Just like in ancient times, you wouldn't tell a Spartan to change his headgear. That's just who they were. A tight band of brothers who fought together side by side. They gave their all to defend what they believed in. Sounds like us eh? So, let's just keep on giving our all and don't let tradition die. Pro Deo Et Patria! (For God and Country)Chappy